Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Aug 13, 2012 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dystopian-utopian, books-i-own

A fantastic sequel to the first book, The Hunger Games. For many books, the second book does not live up to the first book. For me, this one did. Now I am going to keep my points short on this. I figure most people have either read or seen the movies or at least hear about the books by this point. So getting opinions and thoughts on it are easy so i will just stick to the main points

The hardships of district 12 are nicely described without taking away from the pace and focus of the story. It rea ...more

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May 12, 2012 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it really liked it

Shelves: good-fiction, permanent-library, young-adult, spring-2012, sci-fi-dystopia

SUMMARY

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark have survived the Hunger Games and are back home in the Seam. Katniss should be happy; the berries saved both District 12 tributes. But Peeta has turned away from her and Gale is very distant. Life in the Seam has become a little boring. She hates the house in Victors Village, preferring her old house. Hunting is reserved for Sundays. She is oblivious to the rumors of rebellions in other districts until President Snow visits. She must convince him

SUMMARY

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark have survived the Hunger Games and are back home in the Seam. Katniss should be happy; the berries saved both District 12 tributes. But Peeta has turned away from her and Gale is very distant. Life in the Seam has become a little boring. She hates the house in Victors Village, preferring her old house. Hunting is reserved for Sundays. She is oblivious to the rumors of rebellions in other districts until President Snow visits. She must convince him that she and Peeta are truly in love and quell the sparks of rebellion against the Capitol during her Victory Tour or face enormous consequences.

What she doesn’t know is that she’ll fail. President Snow has no intention to let her live as evident in the Quell Games. But she can make sure that Peeta survives, believing him to be the better leader to the rebels. But the spark has been lit and the flames of rebellion are spreading, and she is the face of the rebellion whether she likes it or not. She must survive not matter the cost.

MY THOUGHTS

1.) I screamed throughout the first third of Catching Fire! I get the teen angst, but Katniss’ anguish over her feelings for Peeta and Gale drove me crazy. I wanted to shake her saying “Sh** or get off the pot.” The love triangle plot line has run its course for me. And she came across as a whiny little girl rather than “the girl on fire” sparking rebellion throughout the districts of Panam. She is surprised to find herself as a leader and hopes of her people. Why? Collins really didn’t know or gives the reader a typical teen aged girl experiencing life through her own narrow prism. I was not impressed with this Katniss.

Thank goodness President Snow’s visit finally drowned Katniss’ whiny teen angst. She became the fighter again with the will to survive and protect everyone she cares about. This is the Katniss I like and care for. But our heroine still can’t discern friend from foe. She misses clues as to whom she can trust at the Capitol party and rarely heeds Haymitch’s advice. But he did get his way.

2.) I loved the duel between Katniss and President Snow. He wants her dead and Panam back to normal under his totalistic control. I had originally thought the Capitol was an oligarch but I was wrong. The people of the Capitol are shallow sheep that Snow uses for his pleasure. Even despots need courtesans. But trusted courtiers can be dangerous as many kings, queens, and czars fell.

3.) Collins’s writing is still top notch. Her vivid descriptions of Katniss and Peeta’s Quell Games opening ceremony blew me away. I felt chilled and worried for Cinna and Portia. The Capitol party disgusted me. The drug to induce vomiting so the partiers could endlessly eat was despicable given the starvation throughout the districts, but more importantly I questioned Collins use of it. Many young girls struggle with eating disorders. The twist ending had me pleasantly flummoxed; I never saw it coming.
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Jan 29, 2013 Mary Bronson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: women-fiction, romance, favorites, science-fiction, young-adult

OMG this book was AMAZING!!! I was hooked from page one. The plot was amazing and the characters are amazing. After getting in the middle of the book I could not put it down. I had to finish reading the book fast. It left me hungry for more. I could not wait to read the next book.

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Nov 23, 2012 mussolet rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: g-dystopia, read-notmine-sff

Well.
This book improved its predecessor in one way, and in the other way took off in totally the wrong direction.

Good things first:
I love how the world expanded. The political interludes (what with the bread from District 11 and such) were my favourites in the last book, and here they were more important than ever, even if Katniss doesn't understand (or doesn't want to see) all of it. (Giving Prim more space would have been great here.) You do get the feeling that you're being set up for some ...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Mandi rated it it was amazing

Once again, she ended with a huge cliffhanger. Plus side, 'Catching Fire' was just as amazing, if not more so, as the first. Such a twist with the Quarter Quell. In a way, it should have been expected. But, it never crossed my mind. 'Catching Fire' is full of twists through the whole book. Which makes it all the more interesting. Such a great book. Time for 'Mockingjay'. ...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Madge rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, young-adult

This book was even better than the first. I can't think of what else to say without spoilers, except that some of the twists were absolutely genius and I found myself literally cheering, aloud, for the characters. ...more

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